Razor blade package



Nov. 23, 1965 1 B. ROSEN RAZOR BLADE PACKAGE Filed March 25. 1964 78 FIGI Mmmm/m Leohrd B. Roseh A INVENTOR BY Mjgnlw ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,219,180 RAZOR BLADE PACKAGE Leonard B. Rosen, Rl). 2, Jamestown, Pa. Filed Mar. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 354,559 9 Claims. (Cl. 206-16) This invention relates to a razor blade package and more particularly it relates to a combination package for dispensing razor blades and for separately using the sharpened edges of one such blade for a variety of cutting purposes which do not interfere with the dispensing function of the package.

Safety razor blades are manufactured with finely ground cutting edges which produce sharp and clean cuts with a minimum of effort, and in packaging such razor blades, care must be taken to prevent such edges from being nicked, dented or otherwise abused in such a manner that the cutting ability of the blade yis impaired. Such packaging efforts have been directed in two essential directions, one being where the blades are individually wrapped in paper wrappers and the other being where the blades are housed within a dispensing magazine from which they can be manually dispensed one at a time. In terms of cost, appearace and consumer convenience, this latter form of blade packaging has proved to be the most desirable.

Generally, such blade dispensing magazines have internal provisions for stacking the blades and for biasing the stack. A dispensing slot is formed at one end of the magazine and the top blade in the stack is manually movable endwise out of the magazine through the dispensing slot. There are a great variety of such blade dispensing magazines in the prior art, but, except for some which disclose an additional used blade compartment attached beneath the dispensing magazine, the great majority of these dispensing magazines are concerned only with the structural feautres of the housing or the dispensing arrangement. Moreover, it must be recognized that heretofore razor blades could only be utilized when removed from their dispensing containers and there was no provision for using either a new or a used blade while it was mounted Within the container.

There is much to be said for providing a container wherein a blade is separately mounted for use by a consumer without first being removed from the container. There are several uses to which a razor blade may be put and among these uses are shaving, hair trimming, and various forms of cutting or severing. As for shaving, each razor blade dispensing magazine is constructed to dispense a blade directly into a razor since the razor is needed to accomplish a shaving operation; however, as for the other uses, there is no apparent need for first removing the razor blade from its container. For trimming and thinning the hair, a blade must be movably mounted in cooperation with a set of teeth, and in the past such trimmers were formed as separate items into which a razor blade could be inserted. It would certainly seem beneficial, both from the standpoint of cost and convenience, to provide such a trimmer in combination with the razor blade package rather than as a separate item. Similarly, razor blades are often used for cutting thread, cloth, patterns and many other severing operations, and in the past such razor blades were often inserted in separate holders which gave strength and stability to the thin blades and protected consumers from accidentally cutting their fingers on the blade edges. Again, it would seem desirable and beneficial to provide such a razor blade holder in combination with the razor blade package rather than as a separate item.

With the foregoing matter in mind, it is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a razor Patented Nov. 23, 1965 blade package wherein razor blades can be unitarily dispensed and wherein a single blade can be movably mounted to selectively present its sharpened edge for severing purposes.

Another primary object of the present invention is to provide a combination package wherein a conventional blade dispensing magazine is united with a hair trimmer and a cutting means to form a single, inexpensive, attractive and easily manipulable package.

Still further, but somewhat more specific equivalent objects hereof include the following: (a) the provision of an attachment for a razor blade dispensing magazine which forms a cavity beneath said magazine and wherein a razor blade can be movably mounted for cooperative interaction with said attachment; (b) the provision of a two-compartment razor blade package with one compartment being adapted to protectively house and unitarily dispense individual razor blades and the other compartment being adapted to freely receive an inserted blade which can be manually moved to expose its sharpened edges beyond the boundaries of the package to thus permit suitable use of the blade edges in severing and cutting operations while the blade still remains housed within the package; and (c) the provision of such a razor blade package as a single attractive and easily operable unit which can be fabricated and assembled at high speed and low cost, and with which blades can be quickly and safely removed and inserted.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodirnent thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE l is a top plan View of a razor blade package in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a left end view of the package of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a lateral or transverse sectional view taken substantially along line 4--4 of FIGURE 3 with no blades in the package;

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of the razor blade package;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the package base member taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective view of a modied form of the present invention.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention and as can be seen generally from the figures thereof, there is provided a razor blade package generally designated 10 having a housing generally designated 12 formed of a dispensing magazine generally designated I4 and a base member generally designated 16. Means generally designated 1S within said package permit lateral slidable movement of a razor blade generally designated 20 to selectively expose the sharpened lateral edges thereof.

Referring now to FIGURES 1-4, it can be seen that the dispensing magazine 14 includes a central member 22 adapted to support a superposed stack of razor blades 20 and a cover 24 overlying said central member and substantially enclosing said stack. Preferably, the central member 22 is molded of a durable synthetic plastic resin While the cover 24 is cast or stamped of a lightweight .metal such as aluminum. The choice of such materials is governed not only by ease of amnufacture but also by appearance of the finished article, ease of handling and assembly of the parts and adaptability to subsequent ornamentation or labelling.

The razor blades 20, as can be seen from FIGURES l, 5 and 7, have a shaped medial slot 26 extending along their longitudinal axis and have opposed longitudinal ends 28 which are not sharpened. Notches 30 are formed at each side of each end 28 and these notches set off edge portions or margins 32 having sharpened edges 34 which form the lateral extremities of the bla-de 20. A circular hole 36 is formed at the center of the medial slot 26.

It can be seen that the blades are generally rectangular and the housing 12 is also generally rectangular, although of a larger size than the razor blades. The shorter or end housing walls are generally designated 38, are opposed to one another along a longitudinal axis, and are intended to be generally parallel with the ends 28 of the razor blades 20. The longer or side housing walls are generally designated 40, are opposed to one another along a transverse or lateral axis, and are intended to be generally parallel with the sharpened edges 34 of the razor blades 20.

The central member 22 is provided with a generally planar upper surface 42 upon which th-e blades 20 are supported and also with a lower surface 44 substantially parallel to the upper surface. Upstanding integral legs 46 project upward from the corners of the upper surface 42 to provide a means for properly orienting the cover 24. A pair of cammed upstanding projections 48 are disposed along the central longitudinal axis of the central member upper surface 42 and these projections are narrow enough in width to iit within the slot 26 of a razor blade. As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, a plurality of blades 20 are located within the dispensing magazine 14 with the projections 48 extending through their aligned medial slots 26. The blades 20 are arranged in a staggered stack so that they can be alternately dispensed out of opposite ends of the magazine 14.

The cover 24 has a generally flat upper surface with a central aperture or window 50 therein and is notched out at its corners to receive the legs 46 which position or orient the cover. A pair of depending side skirts 52 project downwardly from opposite sides of the cover 24 and are provided at their lower ends with elongated beads 54 which mate with complemental grooves in the sides of the central member 22 to thus assemble the cover and central member together to form the dispensing magazine. From each end of the cover 24, a pair of spaced resilient spring fingers 56 extend downwardly into the magazine 14 to contact the stacked razor blades 20 and bias them toward the central member 22. At each end 38 of the housing, the upper surface of the cover 24 is suitably spaced away from the upper surface 42 of the central member 22 to thereby provide an end or dispensing slot 58 through which a blade 20 can longitudinally pass.

To facilitate dispensing of the blades 20, suitable indicia in the form of arrows is generally imprinted upon the upper surface of the blades to indicate in which direction the blade is to be dispensed. This indicia is visible through the window 50 and to accomplish dispensing of the uppermost blade 20 in the stack housed within the dispensing magazine, a thumb or linger is inserted through the window 50 to push the blade 20 in its indicated direction. This digital pushing causes the blade to exit endwise or longitudinally through a dispensing slot 58.

The hereinbefore described structural details of the dispensing magazine 14 are considered conventional and, as such, do not form an essential part of the present invention. Their description was merely for the purpose of a more complete understanding of the operation of the package, but it should be understood that modified forms of blade dispensing magazines may also be employed in the package of the present invention without altering its inventive concept and principles.

Beneath the blade dispensing magazine 14, a base member 16 is suitably mounted in Vspaced relation to the lower surface 44 of the central member. This space between the central and base members forms a compartment 60 which can suitably accommodate at least one razor blade 20. The base member 16 has external dimensions corresponding generally to those of the central member 22. At the corners of one end of the base member 16, a pair of short upstanding posts or bosses 62 project upward for a short distance. At the opposite end of the base member, a raised abutment means 64 projects upward for a distance equal to the height of the posts 62. The posts 62 and abutment means 64 provide the means for spacing the central and base members apart, and the height of the posts and abutment means is thus the height of the blade compartment 60. To assemble the base member 16 to the central member 22, a suitable adhesive material is employed between the upper surfaces of the posts 62 and abutment means 64 and the lower surface 44 of the central member 22.

At the end of the compartment having the posts 62, an entrance end slot 66 is formed between the posts and is of a size sufficient to longitudinally receive a blade 20. The base member may be cut away adjacent the slot 66 to form a generally U-shaped thumb receiving recess 68 into which the users thumb can be inserted to introduce a blade 20 through the slot 66 and into the compartment 60. The blade 20 is longitudinally slidable within the compartment until its end 28 contacts the abutment means 64, as shown in FIGURE 5. An aperture 70 may be formed adjacent the abutment means 64 to permit visual verification that the end 28 is in abutting contact with the means 64.

Since the base member 16 is spaced away from the dispensing magazine 14 only at its ends, lateral or side slots 72 are necessarily formed between the base and central members along the lateral sides 40 of the package. Means generally designated 18 permit lateral slidable movement of a blade 20 within the compartment 60 to selectively project a sharpened lateral blade edge 34 through a lateral or side slot 72. In the modification of FIGURE 5, this means 18 takes the form of an elongated slot 74 extending transversely across the base member, preferably at the center thereof. The slot 74 exposes a razor blade 20 within the compartment 60 and thus permits an operator to insert a finger into the slot and to digitally slide the blade 20 laterally toward a side slot 72. When the blade is slid in one direction, its edge will reach the axis indicated by the dashed axis A in FIGURE 5 and in this position, the sharpened blade edge 34 will be exposed for cutting purposes as shown in FIGURE 4. If desired, the posts 62 and abutment means 64 can be elongated toward one another to narrow the width of the side slots 72 to substantially the size of the blade margins or edge portions 32 and in this manner the blade ends 28 would strike the elongated portions and prevent the entire blade 20 from inadvertently passing through the side slot 72.

It is desired to allow the package 10 to also operate as a hair trimmer and to that end, a series of spaced teeth 76 project from one side of the base member. These teeth are similar to comb teeth and may be formed integrally with the base member itself. A similar series of spaced teeth 78 project from one side of the central member 22 and the two sets of teeth are spaced apart and extend beyond the associated side `slot 72, as shown in FIGURE 3. When the blade 20 in the compartment 60 is slid toward the teeth, its sharpened edge projects through the side slot 72 and between the teeth 76 and '78 to a position indicated by the dashed axis B in FIGURE 5. In this position, the blade and teeth cooperate to form a trimmer which can be utilized for thinning and trimming of hair. If desired, the blade may be utilized with only one set of teeth, either 76 or 78, with the other set being eliminate. However, while such an arrangement may trim just as satisfactorily as the twin tooth set arrangement, there is more danger of personal injury during operation since the entire sharpened edge 34 of the blade would be exposed, and for this reason, the twin tooth construction is preferred.

The modification illustrated in FIGURE 7 is similar to the previously described modification except for certain minor details and a modified means 18 for actuating or sliding the blade 20 laterally within the compartment 60. As for the minor details, FIGURE 7 eliminates the posts 62 at the end of the base member 16 and instead provides similar depending posts or lugs, also identified as 62, projecting from the lower surface 44 of the central member 22. Likewise, if desired, the abutment means 64 could also be formed depending from the central member rather than extending from the base member. The base member aperture 70 may also be eliminated, if desired, as shown in FIGURE 7.

The means 18 for sliding the blade 26 laterally is shown in FIGURE 7 as a knob 8G having a depending stem 82 with cross-legs 84 at its end. The diameter of the stem 82 is small enough to fit through the central circular hole 36 in the razor blade medial slot 26. The legs 84 are likewise small enough to fit through the slot 26 when they extend longitudinally of the blade, but they are great enough in length to extend beyond the perimeter of the circular hole 36 when they extend laterally of the blade 20. A laterally extending groove 86 extends completely through the base member 16 and is formed of a Width sumcient to accommodate the stem 82 for slidable movement therewithin. A similar groove 88 is formed in the central member 22 in alignment with the groove 86, but the groove 88 extends only partially into the central member 22. A short longitudinal groove 90 intersects the groove 86 medially thereof and is designed to permit passage of the legs 84. A- circular groove 92 is formed medially of the central member groove 88 and with a diameter substantially equal to the length of the groove 90. Like the groove 88, the circular groove 92 extends only partially through the central member 22.

In operation, the blade 20 is positioned in the compartment 60 with its end 2S in contact with the abutment means 64. The knob 80 is positioned adjacent the base member 16 with its appended stem 82 and legs 84 passing through the grooves 86 and 90 respectively. The legs then pass through the blade medial slot 26 and into the circular groove 92 while the stem 82 passes through the circular blade hole 36 and also into the groove 92. At this point, the knob 80 is rotated through an angle of approximately 45 degrees to bring the legs 84 into alignment with the grooves 86 and 8S. Since the length of the legs 84 is greater in size than the diameter of the blade hole 36, the blade prevents the knob means 18 from retracting back through the base member 16. When the operator pushes the knob 80 laterally toward one of the side slots 72, the stem 82 slides within the groove 86 and the legs 84 slide within the groove 88. When the end of the foremost leg 84 strikes the end of the groove 88, the sharpened edge 34 of the blade 20 will have passed through the side slot 72 and reached a position along either axis A or axis B, as shown in FIGURE 5. Sliding the knob 80 in the opposite direction will extend the other sharpened blade edge 34 out the other side slot 72.

Other suitable expendients lmay also be incorporated into the package to enhance its desirable characteristics. For instance, a small magnet may be attached to the package to facilitate the recovery of accidentally dropped razor blades. Similarly, some suitable form of indicating scale may be incorporated into the package to indicate the number of blades remaining in the dispensing magazine. Also, a used blade compartment might be incorporated into the package, if desired.

After reading the foregoing detailed description, it should be apparent that the objects set forth at the outset of this specification have been successfully achieved. Accordingly,

What is claimed is:

1. A razor blade package comprising:

a dispensing magazine adapted to maintain and untarily dispense razor blades from a superposed stack thereof;

a base member juxtaposed beneath said magazine in spaced relation thereto;

said space between said base member and said magazine defining a blade-receiving compartment;

said blade-receiving compartment having an end slot through which a razor blade can be longitudinally introduced into said compartment;

said blade-receiving compartment further having at least one side slot adapted to accommodate at least a portion of a sharpened lateral edge of a razor blade housed within said compartment; and

means permitting selective slidable movement of a blade within said compartment to project at least a portion of a sharpened lateral edge of said blade through said side slot for severing purposes.

2. A razor blade package as defined in claim 1 wherein two side slots are provided in spaced opposition to one another.

3. A razor blade package as dened in claim 1 but further characterized by a plurality of spaced teeth projecting from said package adjacent said side slot and cooperative with the projecting sharpened lateral edge portion of said razor blade to form therewith a hair trimmer.

4. A razor blade package as defined in claim 3 wherein a rst set of teeth projects from said dispensing magazine and a second and aligned set of teeth projects from said base member with said razor blade lateral edge portion being slidable between said first and second sets of teeth.

5. A razor blade package as defined in claim 1 wherein said means includes an aperture in said base member communicating with said compartment and exposing a razor blade therein for digital manipulation thereof.

6. A razor blade package as defined in cl-aim 1 wherein said means includes a knob projecting beyond said base member, a stem appended to said knob and adapted to pass through an apertured razor blade in said compartment, and aligned grooves in said base member and the bottom of said dispensing magazine whereby said knob and stern can be manually moved within said grooves to project the lateral sharpened edge portion of said blade through said side slot.

7. A combination razor blade package comprising:

a generally rectangular central member having opposed longitudinal ends and opposed elongated lateral sides and being adapted to support a superposed stack of double-edged razor blades with the sharpened lateral edges of said blades being substantially parallel to sa-id lateral sides `and the ends of said blades being substantially parallel to said longitudinal ends;

a cover having a window therein overlying said central member and being secured thereto to form a dispensing magazine for said stacked blades;

said central member being recessed at one end thereof to form with said cover, a dispensing slot through which the uppermost blade in said stack can exit under the influence of digital actuation through said window;

a base member secured beneath said central member in spaced juxtaposition thereto to form a bladereceiving compartment;

said base member having opposed ends and sides corresponding substantially in size and location to those of said central member;

said base member and said central member being spaced apart at one end thereof to form an end slot through which a blade can be longitudinally introduced into said compartment;

said base member having an abutment means adjacent the end opposite said end slot to limit the longitudinal movement of an introduced blade;

said base member and said central member also being spaced apart at their sides to form opposed side slots through which the sharpened lateral edges of a blade in said compartment can be projected;

a series of spaced teeth extending from one side of said central member;

a similar and aligned series of spaced teeth extending from one side of said base member;

said central and base member teeth forming therebetween .an extension of ysaid iside slot for reception of said razor blade edge;

means permitting selective lateral slidable movement of a blade in said compartment to extend one sharpened lateral edge of said blade through a side slot and between said teeth to operate therewith as a hair trimmer or through said other side slot to present an exposed sharpened edge for cutting purposes.

8. A combination razor blade package as defined Iin claim 7 wherein said means includes an aperture in said base member communicating with said compartment and exposing a razor blade therein for digital manipulation thereof in a lateral direction.

' 9. A combination razor blade package as dened in claim 7 wherein said means includes a knob extending below said base member, a stern appended to said knob and extending through said base member and said compartment and adapted to pass through a medially slotted razor blade Within said compartment, and aligned laterally extending grooves in said base member and the bottom of said central member for reception of said stem Whereby manual movement of said knob causes a sharpened lateral edge of said blade to project through a side slot.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,641,055 6/1953 Mansfield 30-30 2,663,080 12/1953 Yonamine 30-40 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A RAZOR BLADE PACKAGE COMPRISING: A DISPENSING MAGAZINE ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN AND UNTARILY DISPENSE RAZOR BLADES FROM A SUPERPOSED STACK THEREOF; A BASE MEMBER JUXTAPOSED BENEATH SAID MAGAZINE IN SPACED RELATION THERETO; SAID SPACE BETWEEN SAID BASE MEMBER AND SAID MAGAZINE DEFINING A BLADE-RECEIVING COMPARTMENT; SAID BLADE-RECEIVING COMPARTMENT HAVING AN END SLOT THROUGH WHICH A RAZOR BLADE CAN BE LONGITUDINALLY INTRODUCED INTO SAID COMPARTMENT; SAID BLADE-RECEIVING COMPARTMENT FURTHER HAVING AT LEAST ONE SIDE SLOT ADAPTED TO ACCOMMODATE AT LEAST A PORTION OF A SHARPENED LATERAL EDGE OF A RAZOR BLADE HOUSED WITHIN SAID COMPARTMENT; AND MEANS PERMITTING SELECTIVE SLIDABLE MOVEMENT OF A BLADE WITHIN SAID COMPARTMENT TO PROJECT AT LEAST A PORTION OF A SHARPENED LATERAL EDGE OF SAID BLADE THROUGH SAID SIDE SLOT FOR SEVERING PURPOSES. 